


Eat Me Alive

by End_Transmission



Series: Halloween Colors [2]
Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Guilt, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Late Night Conversations, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27256873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/End_Transmission/pseuds/End_Transmission
Summary: When left to his own thoughts, Skitch finds himself lost in a sea of confusing, contradicting guilt. Thankfully, Orange is there to pull him out.(Direct sequel to Other Half)
Relationships: Black/Orange (Among Us)
Series: Halloween Colors [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983761
Comments: 22
Kudos: 103





	Eat Me Alive

**Author's Note:**

> This oneshot is a direct sequel to Other Half. Given that characters here are named and this heavily references plotlines from that story, it may not make much sense if you haven't read Other Half.

Space was expansive. 

As a trained astronaut, Skitch had been well aware of this fact for a long time. Still, it was one thing to know it, and a very different thing to face it down. He stared out into that abyss, now, from where he sat in the captain's chair upon the Skeld. It was late, the ship's six other residents were sound asleep in their cots. Relieved, no doubt - they had their answers and could sleep well knowing that they were no longer in danger of being devoured by something unknown. Even those who didn't trust Skitch seemed to believe he wouldn't actually _hurt_ them - which, he guessed, was a start. 

As his thoughts turned towards the crew, they followed the usual and inevitable path. It was always Red and Pink he thought about first as his chest constricted painfully. He tightened his hold on the chair as the guilt and grief at their deaths - Pink's, especially - gnawed at him. 

It was nothing compared to his guilt over Trep, though. _That_ one was a complex myriad of thoughts that cycled over and over through Skitch's head, never letting him settle on just one aspect to feel guilt over. He shifted wildly between guilt over not stopping the other Impostor sooner and being the one to stop him at all. Skitch knew the _right_ answer, but his feelings refused to agree with him. 

"Black?" 

Skitch started at the sudden voice and whipped the chair around to look. It was only Orange, though - the human was standing in the doorway, rubbing at one eye as the other one peered over at Skitch. The Impostor lifted a hand in quick greeting and, clearly taking it as an invite, Orange walked over. With a soft yawn, the human grabbed a second chair and pulled it over so he could sit next to Skitch. 

"You alright?" Orange asked, and Skitch had to look away. He couldn't drum up the willpower to lie, but hesitated to admit as much. The human - humans, really - had their own grief to sort through. How could Skitch possibly explain his in a way Orange would understand? As if on cue, Orange shifted, and Skitch felt the man give his wrist a brief squeeze. "What do you need?" 

"What do you mean?" Skitch finally asked, turning his head to look at Orange again. 

"Something's bothering you," Orange answered, "so…how can I help? Want me to leave you be? Want me to just sit and quietly brood with you? Wanna talk? I'll listen." Even with the offers, Skitch wasn't entirely sure what he wanted. At least, not until his hands seemed to move on their own accord, long before he'd decided on speaking. 

"It upsets me that things ended the way they did," Skitch said. "I don't regret saving you," he added, "I would choose the same answer over and over again if necessary. Still, I can't help but feel like if I'd done things differently, saving you might not have meant killing Trep. Then, I turn around and think if I'd done things differently, maybe I could have even saved Pink."

"Trep," Orange sounded out, his voice quiet, "that's Cyan?" He nodded in answer to Skitch's own affirmation. "What could you have done differently?" 

"Been more honest with myself. More honest with Trep. He thought…" Skitch paused, studying Orange quietly for a minute, something warm in his chest. "He thought I was just having fun. He didn't really _approve,_ and I think he knew I was too attached. Still. He thought I'd do the right thing, in the end. Maybe if I'd told him otherwise, maybe I could have…"

"Convinced him to spare us?" Orange asked, and Skitch couldn't help but flinch at the bluntness. Undeterred, Orange continued. "Do you think it would have worked? Do you think he would have listened?" 

Skitch didn't answer - _couldn't_ answer - for a long minute. Instinct told him no - Trep likely would have pushed the mission along quicker. Possibly would have killed Skitch just to get him out of the way. 

"No," Skitch answered, "but that's my assumption. I didn't even give him the choice. Instead I lied to him - I let him believe all of that. Then I turned on him. Killed him. Never even tried to talk it out with him. That…" His chest was tight again, too tight. He drew in on himself with a breath. "It must make me seem awful. I know what he was to you - to all of you. It _hurts,_ though. I can't help but think he deserved better. I don't regret saving you - but I wish it hadn't meant killing Trep."

Feeling suddenly spent, Skitch let his head hang, his gaze stuck on his own hands. He waited for Orange to speak - braced himself for the inevitable scorn. Skitch felt _sorry_ for the man who'd killed two of Orange's crewmates. Who would have killed them all - Orange included - given the chance. Skitch knew how that must sound - even if there was depth to the rivulets, the trust between them was still only a trickle. Skitch wondered if putting his guilt out there would be the last red flag Orange was willing to live with. 

Orange suddenly took Skitch's hands in his own and, startled, the Impostor looked to the human once more. Orange was wearing that smile - that soft, comforting thing he was so very good at. He'd shifted his chair around so that their knees were touching, and Skitch felt his hearts catching in his throat. 

"I think the fact that you're feeling this way says a lot about you, Black." Orange said, flipping Skitch's hands so he could run his thumbs softly over them. "This whole situation is way beyond anything _any_ of us have ever dealt with, you know? It's complicated, and anyone who'd tell you that you should have simple feelings about it are lying to you." Orange paused his ministrations to squeeze Skitch's hands. "I don't have any magic words to make the guilt go away. What I can say is that there's nothing wrong with feeling it - it just says that you're a compassionate person. No matter who or what that guilt is aimed at. You're allowed to _feel,_ Black. Don't beat yourself up for it." 

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed in a way Skitch couldn't put to words, he gripped Orange's hands in a tight grip. Then, he pulled them up and rested the human's knuckles against his forehead, pressing them there until the pressure felt right. 

"Here," Orange said softly, wiggling his fingers. Reluctantly, Skitch let go - and was rewarded by the human's fingers massaging all along the sides of his head. With a breath, Skitch relaxed into the sensation and leaned into the touch. Somehow, he soon found himself awkwardly folded over in his chair, his forehead pressed to Orange's shoulder while the human continued the impromptu massage all along the back of Skitch's head and neck. Orange had told Skitch it was okay to feel - but all at once, under Orange's touch, it became surprisingly easy to push everything away. 

Every time the thoughts tried to creep back in, Skitch focused on Orange instead. He would feel _later._ For now, Orange was humming under his breath, the sound reverberating through his body in a calming rumble. Skitch found himself lulled into a sort of dozing stupor and all the while Orange kept touching and pressing and humming - every pause leaving a blossom of warmth on Skitch's skin. 

"Hey, Black," Orange's voice eventually broke the stillness of the moment and, reluctantly, Skitch pulled himself back to the surface. He tapped Orange's knee lightly to let the human know he was listening - although he didn't bother to move. "I'm just curious…do _you_ have a name?" Skitch let out a soft breath and turned his head to press his nose to Orange's neck for just a second. Then he pulled back. 

"Skitch."

"Skitch?" 

The Impostor went still, a thrill going through him at the sound of Orange saying his name. The human had said it slowly, had sounded it out so carefully - and all Skitch could think was how badly he wanted to hear Orange say it again. 

"Skitch," Orange repeated, as if he'd heard the Impostor's wishes. He smiled. "I dunno what I expected, really. Skitch." He paused, then held his hand out towards Skitch, his smile becoming a lopsided grin. "Jamie. That's me, I mean. I'm Jamie." 

It was strange to think of Orange as anything but, well, Orange. Still, Skitch rolled the name around in his head, let his fingers spell it out a couple of times. He liked the way it sounded - the way it felt. Of course, he felt confident that Orange - Jamie, rather - could have said any name and Skitch would have liked it. In the end, this was his human. His name was the least important thing about him. 

Skitch looked at Jamie's hand, still held out in an offered shake. Feeling the last of the night's tension flake away, Skitch let out a soft exhale of laughter. He wrapped his hand around Jamie's as if to shake, but then tugged the human closer instead. Jamie let out a quiet laugh as Skitch wrapped his arms tightly around him, but then returned the embrace in nearly as smooth of a movement. It was a little awkward from their sitting positions, but Skitch didn't care. 

"Feeling a little better?" Jamie asked quietly, the breath of his words tickling the skin of Skitch's neck. 

_Much,_ Skitch answered silently, hoping that the way he squeezed Jamie a little tighter still was answer enough. 

**Author's Note:**

> Orange has a name now. It's canon. Now I have to use it. So I hope it doesn't throw people off too much!
> 
> This is just a little stop, not long after the events of Other Half.


End file.
